Oklahoma Medicaid could up provider pay after years

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma providers who treat patients covered by Medicaid may soon get their first pay rate increase in nearly a decade.

The Oklahoma Health Care Authority announced Wednesday it's considering raising rates paid to providers, the Oklahoman reported . The authority administers SoonerCare, the state's Medicaid program covering about 796,000 people. The majority of those covered by SoonerCare are children.

The authority's board will consider the increases Sept. 13. If approved, providers would start receiving higher rates Oct. 1, marking the first increase since 2009.